Review: Disturbing the Dead

Presenting: the book that caused a major reading slump! I loved every second I spent reading Disturbing the Dead by Kelley Armstrong and had no idea what to do with myself when it was over. It’s the third book in her Rip Through Time series and it’s by far my favourite - they just keep getting stronger!

Here’s the book’s description:

Victorian Scotland is becoming less strange to modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson. Though inhabiting someone else’s body will always be unsettling, even if her employers know that she’s not actually housemaid Catriona Mitchell, ever since the night both of them were attacked in the same dark alley 150 years apart. Mallory likes her job as assistant to undertaker/medical examiner Dr. Duncan Gray, and is developing true friends―and feelings―in this century.
So, understanding the Victorian fascination with death, Mallory isn't that surprised when she and her friends are invited to a mummy unwrapping at the home of Sir Alastair Christie. When their host is missing when it comes time to unwrap the mummy, Gray and Mallory are asked to step in. And upon closer inspection, it’s not a mummy they’ve unwrapped, but a much more modern body.

A friend mentioned that she got a little bit bored with the mystery and I can kind of see what she means. While I was invested in finding out what happened to the “modern” mummy, the other bits of the story were slightly more compelling. I wasn’t bored by it though and enjoyed the other characters I got to “meet” while Mallory and Gray tried to help solve the murder (except for, you know, the murderer - not a fan of them!).

I very much enjoyed getting back to Victorian Scotland, especially since I was just in Edinburgh (again) over Christmas. I found myself constantly Googling areas and checking my photos to see if we had ended up in some of the same places Mallory had been describing. The city, even now, is full of history that is almost impossible to fathom, especially for a tourist who’s only there for a week or so. (As busy as it was over Christmas, something I wasn’t quite expecting for some reason, it was still a remarkable place to spend the holidays.)

At the risk of being too spoilery, we get a bit more information about the time travel aspect of the story in this book. Which is kind of why the mystery took a bit of a backseat. I think my jaw was hanging open for a good portion of the story because I really wasn’t sure how it was all going to turn out!

This series may frustrate history buffs but for those of us who enjoy history but don’t actually study the Victorian era? Oh, it’s perfect. I love the time period, the location, the characters, the time travel, and the mysteries. It’s everything I love wrapped up in one hell of a compelling series. One that I really hope continues!

Historical fiction and mystery lovers will thoroughly enjoy Kelley Armstrong’s latest book, Disturbing the Dead. The Rip Through Time series is incredibly entertaining and is well worth a read. (Even if it did give me a huge book hangover!)

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Minotaur/St. Martin’s Press, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: The Poisoner’s Ring

I was very late to the Kelley Armstrong game, having only read my first book by her in 2020 - a whopping 19 years after her first published book. Since then, I’ve devoured her Rockton series and have been thoroughly enjoying her latest series which began with A Rip Through Time, published last year. (Review here.) The Poisoner’s Ring is the next book in that series and just published this week. I was so glad to be back with Mallory, Gray, Isla, and McCreadie and, dare I say it, I think I liked this one more than the first!

Here’s the book’s description:

Edinburgh, 1869: Modern-day homicide detective Mallory Atkinson is adjusting to her new life in Victorian Scotland. Her employers know she’s not housemaid Catriona Mitchell―even though Mallory is in Catriona’s body―and Mallory is now officially an undertaker’s assistant. Dr. Duncan Gray moonlights as a medical examiner, and their latest case hits close to home. Men are dropping dead from a powerful poison, and all signs point to the grieving widows… the latest of which is Gray’s oldest sister.
Poison is said to be a woman’s weapon, though Mallory has to wonder if it’s as simple as that. But she must tread carefully. Every move the household makes is being watched, and who knows where the investigation will lead.

This is a mystery novel first, historical novel second. I think Armstrong recognized some of her missteps in book one and took pains to do more research to make the setting more believable and accurate. As a huge historical fiction reader, I appreciated that. But as a mystery reader, I cared a wee bit more about the whodunit. And by cared I mean I was totally addicted and had no idea how the case would be resolved. Armstrong had me guessing right to the end and I loved it.

I think I liked this one more than the first because Mallory was already in the past and wasn’t actively trying to get back to the present. Oh, she wants to return home, of course. But she does enjoy her new life, even with all the weirdness. I was able to get to know the characters and the setting more in this book, rather than focusing on said weirdness that was how Mallory ended up in the past.

The novel was really fast-paced, as you’d expect from a mystery. I love how smart all the main characters are and yet never felt like an idiot for not picking up on the clues they were seeing. I am but a mere library staffer, not a homicide detective. Shouting about how great the library is is more up my alley than sniffing out clues to find out who murdered someone. But the point is, the clues are there and I was perfectly happy not understanding how they all worked together until the big reveal at the end. The resolution of the case was satisfying - though I wish the court of public opinion was kinder.

Kelley Armstrong’s latest book, The Poisoner’s Ring, was an entertaining read that kept me engaged from start to finish. It’s not perfect but it’s incredibly enjoyable and that makes it a win in my books. I’m really loving this series and cannot wait until the next book!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Minotaur Books, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*

Review: A Rip Through Time

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned it before, but I was late to the Kelley Armstrong game. I knew who she was, of course (you can’t work in a bookstore and not know popular Canadian authors) but I had just never picked up her books - until the Rockton series. I loved that one so when I saw she was writing a new historical mystery series, I knew I wanted to check it out. A Rip Through Time is the first and it did its job - I REALLY need to read the next book!

Here’s the book’s description:

May 20, 2019: Homicide detective Mallory is in Edinburgh to be with her dying grandmother. While out on a jog one evening, Mallory hears a woman in distress. She’s drawn to an alley, where she is attacked and loses consciousness.
May 20, 1869: Housemaid Catriona Mitchell had been enjoying a half-day off, only to be discovered that night in a lane, where she’d been strangled and left for dead . . . exactly one-hundred-and-fifty years before Mallory was strangled in the same spot.
When Mallory wakes up in Catriona's body in 1869, she must put aside her shock and adjust quickly to the reality: life as a housemaid to an undertaker in Victorian Scotland. She soon discovers that her boss, Dr. Gray, also moonlights as a medical examiner and has just taken on an intriguing case, the strangulation of a young man, similar to the attack on herself. Her only hope is that catching the murderer can lead her back to her modern life . . . before it's too late.

This book wasn’t exactly the greatest literary work. The number of times Mallory’s “hands itched to grab her phone” was used made me want to throw my eReader out the damn window. The timeline may not have been as smooth as it should have been, and characters did things that didn’t always make sense. But, damn, if I don’t desperately want book two already! Armstrong wraps up the mystery in this book but leaves several dangling threads so you can’t help but want to know what happens next. And I thoroughly enjoyed my reading time (other than when Mallory wanted to check her phone All. The. Time.) so that is a win in my book.

I don’t read a lot of fantasy and definitely do not read much science fiction. Except when it comes to time travel - that’s the only sci-fi I can handle and I absolutely love it. I have no idea how accurate Armstrong was with 1869 Edinburgh, but it felt accurate enough. There was also the added twist of a modern-day character being thrust into the time while looking like someone from that time (how’s that for a mind-bender?). Not only was that a tricky thing for the character to figure out (HOW will she get home?) but having Mallory be the fish out of water allowed Armstrong to explain some historical things without it becoming an awkward info dump. Mallory is us, the reader, in this scenario and she can ask the questions we want to ask so we’re not left in the dark.

Given Edinburgh was my last big trip before the world shut down, I enjoyed the setting of this story. I didn’t get to explore much in my short trip but some of the streets Mallory mentioned were familiar. And it reminded me of how old the city is with so many modern additions. The charm and the long history of the city is everywhere, even now. Being able to “visit” the city in 1869 was a lot of fun and, no surprise here, I can’t wait to get back to visit Edinburgh in the future (but, like, not the future-future. I don’t need to time travel, thank you.)

A Rip Through Time was a really fun and thrilling read. I was drawn into Kelley Armstrong’s mystery and was rooting for Mallory to figure out the crime and get back to her own time (hey, I made a rhyme!). Enjoy this book for what it is - a sci-fi historical mystery caper - and you’ll have a great time reading it. Looking forward to book #2!

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press, via NetGalley in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*